Mail-pouch collector



Nov. a, 1925 1,559,303

R. M. THOMPSON HAIL POUCH COLLECTOR Filed Aug. 8, 1924 I 22 2 T 9 I r oo I 1 1] 5 :7 3 6 13 1a 0 I4 23 I z1 g5 17 {a I a I H 2 i i i h 2: i ij/mvnrron i Raleg M- Thompson E E ATTORNEY such structure and relativearrangement Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT omen.

RILEY M. THOMPSON, or SACRAMENTO. CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF To 7HUGH A. woonwnnn, or SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. V

' a n-Potion COLLECTOR.

' Application filed August 5', 1924. Serial no. 730,883.

useful Improvements in Mail-Pouch Col-' le tors; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description'of the same,reference being had to the accom- 'panying drawings, and to thecharacters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of thisapplication.

This invention relates to improvements in mail car equipment, andparticularly to the mail pouch collectors commonly used on the same.

In the collectors of the type now common ly used it often happens thatdue to variousconditions and reasons the mail pouch is not alwaysaccurately directed into the col- T lector and held there. By reason ofthe 1n-v accuracy in' this regard-the mail pouches are sometimes droppedor distorted or otherwise inefiiciently handled.

It is the aim of my invention to provide a mechanism whereby when thepouch moves into the collector it will be instantly and immediatelyfirmly and positively gripped therein with no possibility of the samebeing lost or distorted.

v A further object of the invention is to produce a simple andinexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective forthe purposes for which it is designed.

These objects of of of I accomplish by means parts as will fully appearby a perusal the following specification and claims. In the drawingssimilar characters reference indicate corresponding parts the severalviews:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improve pouch collector partly insection, and as it appears when standing in vertical inactive positionacross the mail car door.

- Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe same, also partly in section andshowing the collector as it appears when moved to horizontal'operativeposition across the door and after my improved gripping arm hasfunctioned to positively engage the mail pouch as it is received intothe collector. V

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bracket. Referring now moreparticularly to the characters of "reference on the drawings,

the numerals 1 and 2 designate the door posts of the mail car door. Onthe post 1 is the pouch collector supporting bracket 3, while on thepost 2 is the braket 4, the main rod 5 being movable through the bracket.2 in the usual manner and the shank 6 thereof being movable through thebracket 8 and held in position by the usual cotterkey7.

The numeral 8' designates the handle of the collector used for turningthe collectorinto horizontal position when it is to, function incollecting the mail pouch.

In carrying out my improved invention the handle 8 is on a housing 9interposed between the rod 5 andit s shank 6 and having side walls 10and llrespe'ctively to which is suitably fastened the collectingarm orjaw 12.

Surrounding the shank 6 is a collar 13 having 'a' pair of spaced fingermembers 14 engaging the neck 3 of the bracket 3 to prevent the collarfrom turning.

' An arcuate slot 15 is formed in the collar 13 at its lower side for apurpose as Will presently appear. Interposed between the bracket 3 andhousing '9 and turnable with the housing and surrounding the shank 6 isa rubber or other resilient collar 16 having a longitudinal orifice 17slidable in which is a pin 18.

a This pin 18 is pivoted as at 19 to a dog 20 pivoted in the housing 9and has a spring 21 normally holding it in contact with a lever arm 22of'an arm 23 pivoted on the side wall 11 as at 24. A spring 25 isnormally connected with the arm '22 and en-' gages the member 12, theaction of the spring being to act on the arm 22 to throw the arm 28toward the collector arm 12 whenever the dog 20 is released fromengagement with the arm 22.

When the device is in normal inactive position the dog 20 is engagedwith the arm 22 holding the arm 23 spaced from the collector arm 12, asshown in- Fig. 1. In this position all the parts can be turned up intooperative position by the handle 8' to collect the pouch as the trainproceeds. As the collector arm 12 moves into contact "with the pouch 26the force of the impact moves the entire apparatus against the resilientcollar 16 which'is compressed. "The pin 18, however, engages the collar13 and cannot be moved with the other parts and therefore as the otherparts move against the collar 16 the dog 20 is actuated by the pin 18 todisengage it from the arm 22. Thereupon the spring instantly actsagainst the arm 22 to drive the arm 23 toward the collector arm 12 andagainst the pouch 26 which has been engaged by such collector arm, andthus the pouch is pinched securely between the two members 12 and 23 andcannot be lost or dropped from the collector.

After the arm 23 has served its function it can be replaced manuallyinto its inactive position, as described.

. In order to prevent accidental disengagement of the dog 20 from thearm 22 when thc collector mechanism is in its inactive position, asshown in Fig. l, Ihave provided the slot 15. \Vhen the collectorapparatus is in this position the pin 18 is immediately adjacent theslot 15 so that if there is any tendency of the mechanism to moveagainst the resilient collar 16 the pin 18 will project into this slotand hence will not act to trip the dog 20.

fir further preventative of untoward movement of the arm 23 is providedby means of a catch 27 situated on the post 2 just below the positiontaken by such arm when it is moved downwardly into inactive position.Thus if the arm 23 should be accidentally released it will engage thecatch instead of snapping against the collector arm 12, whichmightbedisastrous if someone were to have their arm or fingers between the twoat the time it happened.

The housing 9 would of course have a suitable covering which has notbeen shown in the drawings in order that the mecha nism in the housingmay be and described.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a readily shown device as substantially fulfills theobjects of the invention as set forth herein.

lVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departurefrom the spirit ofthe invention, as set forth by the appended claims. 2 r

, Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. In a mail pouch collecting mechanism, the combination with a rigidcollecting arm, of a secondary and longitudinally movable arm normallyspaced from the collecting arm, spring means tending to cause thesecondary arm to move toward the collecting arm, means enabling saidarms to beturned and moved longitudii-ially as a unit, means releasablewith the longitudinal movement pouch engaging position.

of the arms for normally preventing the spring means from acting, and-means whereby said last named means can only be released when the armsare turned to a 2. In a mail pouch collecting mechanism, the combinationwith a rigid collecting arm, of a secondary and longitudinally movablearm normally spaced from the collecting arm, spring means tending tocause the secondary arm to move toward the collecting arm, meansenabling said arms to be turned and moved longitudinally as a unit, adetent normally engaging the secondary arm to prevent the spring fromfunctioning, a member fixed with respect to the arms, and a pin mountedin connection with the detent parallel to the plane of longitudinal movement of the arms, and terminating adjacent one face of said member-whenthe detent is set, means causing longitudinal movement of the armstoward said member when a pouch is engaged by the arms whereby the pinwill be then held relatively stationary, and means whereby such relativemovement between the arms andpin will cause thedetent to be released,the fixed member having a socket with which the pin alines only when thearms are turned to a non-operative position whereby with anylongitudinal movement of the arms when in such position the pin is freeto move therewith.

8. In a mail pouch collecting mechanism, the combination with a rigidcollectingarm, of a secondary arm normally spaced from the collectingarm, spring means tending to cause the secondary arm to move to ward thecollecting arm, means normally preventing such movement, means enablingthe arms to be turned as a unit through a certain arc, and means wherebya longitudinal impact on the collecting arm will cause the secondary armto move theretoward when said arms are in a pouch collecting position,but will prevent such movement when the arms are turned away from thepouch engaging position.

4. Ina mail pouch collecting mechanism, the combination with a rigidcollecting arm, of a secondary arm normally spaced from the collectingarm, spring means tending to cause the secondary arm to move toward thecollecting arm, a detent normally preventingsuch movement, meansenabling the arms to be turned as aunit through a certain arc, and meanswhereby the detent will be tripped to release the arm by a longitudinalimpact imparted to the collecting arm only when the arms are turned to apouch collecting position.

In a mail pouch collecting mechanism, a main support, mountings in whichthe support is held and capable of longitudinal movement therein, acollecting arm on the support, means to hold the support normallyagainst longitudinal movement, and means, controllable by thelongitudinal movement of the support for clamping the mail pouch againstthe collecting arm after it has been engaged by the latter and operableonly when the collecting mechanism is moved to pouch engaging position.

6. In a mail pouch collecting mechanism, a main support, mountings inwhich the support is held and capable of longitudinal movement therein,a collecting arm on the support, means to hold the support normallyagainst longitudinal movement, means controllable by the longitudinalmovement or" the support for clamping the mail pouch against thecollecting arm after it has been engaged by the latter, such meansincluding a pivoted and spring pressed secondary arm, a means normallyholding same paced from the collecting arm, the means for holding thesupport against normal longitudinal movement being adapted to give waywhen the mail pouch engages the collecting arm, and means for thereuponreleasing the arm and allowing it to engage the pouch.

7. In a mail pouch collecting mechanism a pair of spaced brackets, asupport mounted for longitudinal movement in the brackets, a fixedcollecting arm on the support, a secondary arm pivoted relative to thesupport and having a spring pressed lever arm, a pivoted detent toengage the lever arm to hold the secondary arm normally spaced from thecollecting arm, a resilient member interposed between one bracket andthe support, a pin connected to the detent projecting through theresilient member and normally engaging the bracket with its free end,whereby when the collecting arm engages the pouch the impact will drivethe support against the resilient member to con- -member interposedbetween one bracket and the support, a pin connected to the detentprojecting through the resilient member and normally engaging thebracket with its free end, whereby when the collecting arm engages thepouch the impact will drive the support against the resilient member tocontract same, and thereupon the pin will operate to release the detentfrom the lever arm and the secondary arm will be spring pressed intoengagement with the pouch, the bracket having an arcuate slot at onepoint so that when the collecting arm is turned to inoperative positionthe pin will be alined with such slot whereby to prevent undesired re-Ieasement of the secondary arm.

9. In a mail pouch collecting mechanism,

a main support, mountings for said support in which the latter islongitudinally movable, a collecting arm on the support, meanscontrollable by such movement of the support for clamping a pouchagainst the collecting arm after said pouch has been engaged by the arm,and a resilient member between the support and one of the mountings fornormally resisting any movement of the support.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

RILEY M. THOMPSON.

